It was all smiles and scissors Friday morning as (L-R) Environment Students' Society president Kevin Knapp, Don Gordon of Cooper Construction, Dean of Environment André Roy, President Feridun Hamdullahpur, John Milloy, Minister of Community and Social Services, MP Peter Braid, and MP Steven Woodworth cut the ribbon to formally open Environment 3. Photo by Joe Bevan.

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Exhibit highlights our "Unconventional Thinking"

There is a strong University of Waterloo presence in the award-winning $26 million Waterloo Region Museum (pictured above), which opened last weekend. More than 8,000 visitors toured the spectacular building, located in Kitchener on Huron Road.

The museum was designed by Toronto architects Moriyama and Teshima (Raymond Moriyama designed this university's Health Services Building and the Minota Hagey residence in the late 1960s), with Brian Rudy, a Waterloo architecture graduate as the project architect; the project was managed by another Waterloo graduate architect, Roger Farwell, of the Walter Fedy partnership, and the Historical Consultant for the museum and its exhibits was Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History and UW graduate, Ken McLaughlin.

The University of Waterloo’s influence is also seen in many of the exhibits, from the famous Waterloo Pump, which was the subject of an entertaining, albeit apocryphal, Heritage Minute, to the DALSA CCD sensor chip images from Mars and the contribution of J. W. Graham to the development of computing at Waterloo.

Among the exhibits, the museum’s temporary gallery’s “Unconventional Thinking: Innovation in Waterloo Region," features many university spin-off companies that contribute significantly to the identity of Waterloo Region. The exhibit runs until early January 2013.

The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Nanotech workshop links Japan and Canada

A news release from the Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology

Some of the best scientific minds from 13 research organizations across Canada and Japan are connecting today and tomorrow at the University of Waterloo for a bilateral workshop hosted by The Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology. The event is being held to strengthen and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Canada-Japan Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology, and to advance research projects between international collaborators.

The nanotechnology workshop was convened at the request of the Governments of Japan and Canada. Topics of discussion among the 60 invited participants will include advancements in renewable energy and health care bio-diagnostics, and progress already realized from Canada-Japan collaboration.

Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology and His Excellency Kaoru Ishikawa, Ambassador of Japan to Canada, took part in the opening of the workshop this morning in the Davis Centre.

The Canada-Japan nanotechnology workshop will enable stakeholders to highlight their success at a national level and allow individual researcher teams to advance their collaborative projects. Scientists, including Canada Research Chairs in the field of nanotechnology, along with government representatives and administrators from leading universities and nanotechnology organizations are in Waterloo to discuss the future of nanotechnology and recommend paths ahead.

"Nanotechnology underpins many of the advancements needed to solve some of the world's most pressing challenges," said Arthur Carty, executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. Carty added that the goal of international collaboration is to bring together outstanding researchers with diverse and complementary skills to provide new insights and find innovative solutions to critical global issues.

Sessions, panels, and keynote lectures will take place throughout the day today and tomorrow.

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Monday news briefs in detail

The university senate meets today at 3:30 p.m. in Needles Hall 3001 and will consider, among other things, a proposal to change the name of the School of Optometry to the "School of Optometry and Vision Science." Also up for approval is the establishment of a Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, and new graduate programs that include a Master of Peace and Conflict Studies at Conrad Grebel University College and a Master of Social Work at Renison University College. In addition, senate will also discuss the Report of the Committee on Senate-approved Centres and Institutes. The committee was formed in early 2011 for the purpose of collecting input from the university's academic community concerning its research centres and institutes. Senate will also hear from Dr. Raymond LaFlamme, director of the Institute for Quantum Computing, who will be giving a presentation.

Today is also Ability Awareness Day. The annual event hosted by the One Waterloo campaign has a new twist this year with QuizAbility, a trivia showdown. The competition will focus on ability, diversity, and fun campus facts. Participants can sign up in groups of two to four people to compete for prizes and show off their smarts. Sign up or drop by the SLC from 12-2 p.m.

The Federation of Students Used Book store has updated its hours for November and December. For the rest of November, Used Books is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is closed Saturdays. From December 1 to 23, it is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and it is also open Saturdays on December 3, 10, and 17. It is closed December 24 through to December 31, and opens Monday, January 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

St. Paul's University College has rooms to let. Winter and Spring 2012 graduate and undergraduate housing is now available. Call the residence line at 1-885-1460, extension 212 for more information. St. Paul's would also like to remind the community that they offer year-round hotel-style guest rooms. For more information, call the guest room line at 1-885-1465, extension 203 or email gueststpauls@ uwaterloo.ca.

The schedule of mid-cycle review sessions for November has changed. There is now an additional combined session for undergraduate and graduate students on Tuesday, November 22, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Village 1 Great Hall. Additionally, there is a combined session for mathematics, arts, and science faculty and staff on Friday, November 25, also in the Village 1 Great Hall from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. And one final note of a location change for the Plant Operations Night Shift session on Tuesday, November 29 from 10:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. – it is now located in the Festival Room of South Campus Hall. More information about the Mid-Cycle Review and the full session schedule is available here.

Registration for WatITis, the once-a-year one-day conference that brings together information technology staff from across campus, closes on November 23. More information about the conference, which will feature, among other speakers, longtime Daily Bulletin editor Chris Redmond, who is giving a talk entitled “A Writer’s 40-Year Love-Hate Relationship with Waterloo Information Technology.” Information and registration is available online.

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